Improvement in railway-frogs



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Ulvrnn STATES CHRISTOPHER C. SHELBY, OF SPRING VALLEY, NET YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY-FROGS.

Specification forming part of Letti rs Patent No. l5 1,923, dated June 9, 1874; application filed February 14, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER C. SHELBY, of Spring Valley, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have i11- vented a new and Improved Railroad-Frog, and I do hereby declare the following' to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a top view of my improved frog. Figure 2 is a cross-section in the line x, Fig. l. Fig 3 is a crosssection in the line y y, Fig. l; and Fig. et is a similar section in the line z z,'Fig. l. f

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawings indicate the saine parts.

My invention relates to improvements in railroad-frogs; and consists in strengthening the frog and the adjacent rails by outer and inner iish-plates, attached to the rails and frogs,the inner fish-plates being provided with folds and bends which abut against each other, and the frog rendering the parts elastic, the inner fish-plates and frogs being fastened together, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, a a represent the two rails of the frog e, made of a T shape, in the outer grooves of which are inserted the fish-plates b, which, after extending along the grooves in the rails a a, are bent at an acute angle, and made to extend in the grooves on each side of the frog, the outer fish-plates forthe rails a a and the frog e being the eontinuations of the same plates. c c are the inner fish-plates, situated in the inner grooves of the rails a a', and the grooves in the frog c. The inner fish-plates e c are bent or folded, so as to form three sides of rectangles, m m] m2, the parts m1 between the rails abutting against each other, and being fastened together by screw-threaded bolts 1' r, and nuts. In thatA part of the construction in which the frog intervenes between the rails a a', the same form of rectangular bends or folds for the inner fish-plates is preserved, and the bolts r r pass through the upper parts m m of the bends of the inner heh-plates, and also through the frog. Bolts provided with nuts also securely fasten the outer and inner fish-plates together, as shown in the drawing.

By this construction it will be seen that the open form of the bends or folds in the inner sh-plates allows a ready connection, and the bolts 1" can readily be tightened or loosened, while the open form also gives a spring' or elasticity to the parts, and a eheapness to the construction not attained by the use of solid blocks abutting against each other, and bearing against the inner iish-plates, or between them and the opposite sides of the fron'. The inner fish-plates c c on the frog side of the construction terminate a short distance after meeting the outer grooves in the frog, the outer fish-plates resting on the inner fish-plates in the grooves in the frog, and the inner and outer islrplates being bolted together, and the outer fish-plates extending some dist-ance beyond the inner Vfish-plates. At the end of the construction opposite the frog both the outer and inner fish-plates are extended for the reception of the rails connecting with the rails a, a. o o are the lower railplates of the rails a af; and n, (see Fig. 2,) is a cross-plate.

bolted to the rail-plates o o, below the point of the frog. o is a similar cross-plate, resting on the inner iianges of the T-rails a a', the plates o o and a being connected together by the headed bolt i", provided with a nut on its lower end. In ease one or both of the rails should break, and it is desired to replace them, the bolt 1 is removed, and the bolts connecting the outer and inner iishplates with the rails are taken ont, and either or both railsa a replaced by others without interfering with the frog. In a similar manner the frog maybe replaced readily, ifI desired, the rails and fishplates remaining in their normal positions.

It will be seen that the point of the frog is made to enter between two of the bends or folds m of the inner iishplates, which abutagainst each other, and that there are no connecting-bolts passing directly through the rails a a and the frog e. By this construction the point of the frog gives or is elastic to some extent, thus obviating in a great degree the danger of breaking the point of the frog, and preventing jar in the passage of the cars from the frog to the rail.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. The Tshaped rails ny a. and T-shaped frog e, in combination with the outer fishplates b b, extending; along the grooves in the rails, and continued in one piece in the grooves in the T-shaped frog e, the outer fishplates being bolted to the rails and frog, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The T-shaped rails wa and T-shaped frog e, in combination with the bent inner fishplates c c, abutting against each other and the frog-point at the folds, and connected by bolts or other siinilar fastenings, substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.

3. The rails a a and frog e, constructed as set forth, in combination with the outer fish- 

